The 85mm F1.8 lens is an absolute beast, but for some reason it tends to be a lens that most people dislike. This was the first lens I purchased, and I can't help but love the range it offers. The 85mm focal length does meant it's more of a portrait lens, a tighter lens that makes shooting certain locations such as interiors quite difficult, but if you use it right, it's utterly stunning. One thing I have always heavily appreciated is how the opened up aperture with this focal length creates a bit of a warping effect in the bokeh. This is often when a subject is in the middle of the frame. Even outside of the swirly style of bokeh that can be found with a lower aperture, the depth the lens offers is something I just can't help but love. The way in which it really pulls the subject out from the background, making images spaces that perhaps have some tightness to them, but still really shows off what's in the background too. Under good lighting conditions, this lens is some incredible fun.
I haven't been using the lens much for shooting with a shallow depth of field lately, but I have noticed I have been craving it more and more. A little tired of shooting people recently in the street and more interested at pointing the lens towards nature. Capturing animals and plants and the odd shapes nature creates around us. To have that ability to get so up close and personal with a subject without actually needing to get close to it is something I love so much, no longer feeling the limitations of a lower focal length that requires losing some of that distance in order to capture something. Particularly useful if your aim is to capture something without it noticing you or seeing something in a more authentic nature from afar. Today I spent much of my time in a confined space, an area that had beautiful lighting and nature but not a whole lot of subjects to capture.
Instead, I utilised that focal length, turning it to the trees around and the beautiful leaves that were going in various directions into the sky. It was nice knowing I could remain still and just move the camera around to capture different interesting things, staying within one space and not having to really think about how I could capture something. That's again why I feel this is a focal length is often under appreciated.
I think some of this sudden revived interest in capturing with a more shallow depth of field comes from watching more cinematic television series as of late. That love for cinema and how the camera is used to display such beauty with simplicity in its movements, more in taking advantage of how the lenses operate and the image is framed. It's always finding new inspiration from creations you stumble across, finding new challenges and learning new things, adapting to the limitations of gear and finding ways to capture things that are typically around you in every day life. That realisation that with photography your options are limitless. I think from time to time we sort of forget this, getting a bit too caught up in what we feel would be good and how things around us must be perfect for a composition, not really realising that we can just look around and find detail and beauty in the little things. Of course, having a camera in your hand certainly makes this a bit easier, changing how you think and see the world.
I think this realisation also helps you feel a bit better as a creative, you aren't constantly punishing yourself with the idea that every image must be perfect, or that you can't take as many images as you would like because of your lack of subject or lighting. It's all really a mentality thing in the end.
And lastly, here's a beautiful old Soviet era car. I just had to photograph it. It serves no actual relation to the rest of the post, but enjoy! These things tend to be everywhere in Armenia, very much still in use. And always a blast to capture.
Good bokehs, now apply that bokeh into more interesting things!!
like that car , it is a really beautiful car!
Yay for finding some inspiration :) And now I'm wondering if we have one of those kicking around here, there's a few lenses but I only ever used two of them x_x